Educación

Princeton University — B.S.E. , Mechanical Engineering (not availa)

Harvard University — J.D. (not availa)

Biografía

Raja Krishnamoorthi, 42, grew up in Illinois. Starting from humble roots in Peoria, Illinois, Raja attended public schools there. He later won scholarships and took out loans to attend college and law school. After clerking for a federal judge in Chicago, Raja served as an issues director for Barack Obama's sucessful 2004 campaign for U.S. Senate. Later, Raja was appointed by Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan to serve as a Special Assistant Attorney General in her newly formed Public Integrity Unit to root out corruption. Raja has served as a member of the Illinois Housing Development Authority, where he chaired the Audit Commitee. He also served for two years as Illinois Depurty Treasurer.

Currently, a small businessman, Raja, serves as president of Sivananthan Labs and Episolar, Inc., small buisnesses in the Chicago suburbs that develope and sell products in the national security and renewable energey industries. He is a co-founder of InSPIRE, a non-profit organization that provides training in solar technology to inner-city students and veterans. Raja formerly was Vice-Chariman of the Illinois Innocation Council, whose mission is to promore innovatine technologies that support economic growth and job creation.

Raja and his family place a high priority on the value of education. His father isa professor of engineering at Bradley University in Peoria. Raja earned his bachelor's degree summa cum laude in mechanical engineering from Princeton University and graduated with honors from Harvard Law School. His brother is a doctor who treated veterans at the VA and now provides care to inner-city children and faimilies in Chicago.

Raja is married to Priva, a doctor who practicies at local hospitals. They live in Schaumburg with theri sons Vijay, 10, and Vikram, 6, who attend public schools in District 54.

Creencias poliza

Filosofía política

Strengthening the Middle Class

Summary

In Congress, Raja would pursue a Working Families agenda to strengthen the middle class.

For generations, the strength of American democracy has rested on a strong middle-class, but growing income inequality threatens that bedrock of our democracy.We must act to strengthen our middle-class and give more Americans the opportunity to achieve and retain that status.In this campaign, I have proposed a “Working Families Agenda” that includes policies such as raising the federal minimum wage, guaranteeing access to paid maternity and sick leave, providing overtime protections to those earning less than $50,000, and mandating equal pay for equal work for the millions of women in our national workforce.

Enacting Sane Gun Laws

Summary

Raja would pass common sense gun laws to reduce gun violence.

The epidemic of gun violence is a threat to the public health of our nation. We need Members of Congress who are willing to stand up to special interests and put the safety of our families and communities first. My agenda for common-sense gun laws includes: (i) expanding background checks to all gun sales (thus closing the gun-show and terrorist watch list loopholes); (ii) building a better information system on those who should be blocked from weapons purchases including convicted criminals, suspected terrorists, those subject to orders of protection, and those with mental health issues; (iii) reinstating the ban on semi-automatic weapons with no civilian or hunting purposes; and (iv) ending the ban on research into gun safety and gun violence.

Protecting Social Security and Medicare

Summary

Raja believes in preserving Social Security and Medicare for current and future generations.

Social Security and Medicare are not just successful federal programs that have lifted millions of U.S. citizens out of poverty. They are also a sacred promise to our senior citizens who paid into these programs for decades and deserve the dignity of financial security in their golden years. As a Member of Congress, I will work to protect and strengthen these programs and fight plans to cut or privatize those benefits, which would put millions at risk. A first step in extending the solvency of Social Security would be to raise the current income cap of $118,500 for payroll taxes paid into the Trust Fund. Similarly, allowing the federal government to negotiate drug prices with pharmaceutical companies would save billions of dollars in Medicare costs. The Veterans Administration has used that leverage to negotiate lower drug prices for our nation’s veterans, and there’s no justifiable reason for Congress to prevent the Medicare program from doing the same.